Searching and reference checking within social networks

ABSTRACT

A computer-implemented method for identifying a potential reference is disclosed. In one embodiment, a user interface (UI) object (e.g., a one-click reference search button) is provided, for example, on a web page displayed at a user&#39;s client device. When selected, the UI object causes a reference search query to be generated. The search query identifies the user performing the search, and a target person for whom the user would like a reference. The search query is communicated to, and processed by, a social networking system (e.g., through an API function call). In turn, the social networking system returns information about potential references to the client.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is related to and claims the benefit of thefiling date of U.S. Provisional Patent Application with Ser. No.60/773,008, filed on Feb. 13, 2006, which is hereby incorporated hereinby reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a “people-networking” scheme that maybe embodied in computer software and/or hardware and that can becharacterized as both a browser and broker of human networks on theInternet. When used in a computer network environment employing aclient-server architecture, a client-side software application may actas a browser and relationship manager while a server component may actas a broker. When used in a peer-to-peer or distributed serverarchitecture, the broker function can be distributed.

BACKGROUND

One theory behind social networking postulates that if person A wishesto meet person B, s/he can leverage friends and acquaintances to achievethat result. In the course of conducting their everyday affairs (whetherpersonal or business), people generally access their networks ofcontacts for referrals, information and/or advice on a variety ofmatters, for example

-   -   When choosing a physician    -   When seeking a new employee or employer    -   When investigating new investment opportunities.

In examples such as these, an individual's decisions can be made moreefficient if s/he has access to the advice of trusted associates andfriends. However, it is often the case that an individual will find thats/he does not know anyone with the information s/he needs at a specificplace and time. In such a situation, the individual may try going out anextra degree within his or her own “human networks” by asking a contactto provide the name of a contact who may have the needed information.This presents a quandary for the person asked for a referral—namely,whether or not to reveal his or her contacts to the requestor. By makingsuch revelations, the “connector” may compromise his or her network orexpose one or more of his or her contacts to unwanted solicitations. Bynot making the referral, however, the connector may risk his or herassociation with the person seeking the referral. Whether or not to makethe referral often depends upon the degree of trust that the connectorhas in the person seeking the referral and any past experiences inmaking such referrals to the target referee.

Even where the referral is ultimately made, there is no guarantee thatthe referee is going to be a suitable candidate for the originalrequestor's purpose. Thus, the requestor may be forced to track down anumber of leads (many of which may be unsuitable) in the hope of findinga suitable target. This process is rather inefficient, usually becausea) the requester does not have enough information about the contacts ofhis or her contacts in order to determine which contacts to approach forreferrals, and/or b) the requester has failed to properly elucidate hisor her requirements and/or because the requestor was not provided withsufficient information regarding the potential target to be able toeliminate him or her from further consideration. In other words, theprofiles of the desired target and the resulting candidates were notsufficiently developed to meaningfully assist in the selection process.

Despite their inefficiencies, human networks are central to most, if notall, value-creating activities and operate at multiple levels, includingpersonal networks (the personal and professional contacts each of ushas), organizational networks (links within and between organizations),and associations and interest groups (people attracted by common values,interests, and goals). Today, many individuals may also be regarded asexisting online community members, members of organizational networks(independent consultants, alliances, partnerships, consortiums,associations) or employees of small to large companies. They engage inhuman development, organizational learning, training, management,brokering, marketing, sales, trade, research, and consulting activities,all of which depend, to some degree, on inter- human networks. Suchindividuals generally understand the value of computer networks as toolsfor sharing information, but presently these individuals have onlylimited access to tools that can give them an edge (e.g., a competitiveadvantage) to make better human network connections on the Internet.However, even with the advantages provided by the Internet, opportunityis still limited by the reach of an individual's personal network.

Others have recognized some of these deficiencies and have proposedpartial solutions. For example, some prior schemes for leveraging humannetwork characteristics show the benefit of using automated means toassist in decision-making processes regarding the use of such networks.However, these schemes do not assist in the forming of relationships orintroductions among members of disparate human networks nor do theyprovide for the brokering function discussed above, which is critical tothe exchange of social capital among individuals. Other schemes includeaccess control systems that generally allow only intended users to haveaccess to information. Such systems may make use of encryption schemes,such as public/private key encryption schemes, or other access controlssuch as:

-   -   Simple access that is either open or closed.    -   Schemes wherein data or data areas are separated into public and        private (or further) designations.    -   Schemes which use multiple access groups to which people and        other groups are assigned.    -   Schemes involving role-based access control.

In addition to access control schemes, other profiling systems do existand are often used as adjuncts to e-commerce technologies to providesome limited contact book updating capabilities.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides advanced filtering, searching andreference checking tools and methods for use with and within socialnetworking applications.

One embodiment of the invention provides a computer-implemented methodin which one or more software agents broker matches betweenuser-specified search criteria and targets, report such matchesaccording to the level of identity between the search criteria andinformation found in profiles of the potential targets. The method alsoprovides for a “one-click” reference search to allow a searcher toaccess information pertaining to the potential target among othersources within the searcher's network of connections, and then report onsuch references, ranked according to instructions specified by thesearcher.

In one embodiment, a user interface (UI) object (e.g., a one-clickreference search button) is provided, for example, on a web pagedisplayed at a user's client device. When selected, the UI object causesa reference search query to be generated. The search query identifiesthe user performing the search, and a target person for whom the userwould like a reference. The search query is communicated to, andprocessed by, a social networking system (e.g., through an API functioncall). In turn, the social networking system returns information aboutpotential references to the client.

In a further embodiment of the invention, a one-click reference featureallows a user to automatically initiate an introduction request to anindividual within the user's social network who has a direct connectionto one or more of the targets identified during the user's search.

In another embodiment of the invention, a computer implemented method inwhich incoming messages are scanned, and the senders' names (and otheruser-definable information) are compared to a social networkingapplication database, thereby initiating a search for a profile thatmatches the sender within the database. Upon locating such a profile,summary information concerning the sender (e.g., as extracted from thedatabase) is displayed along with the incoming message.

In a further embodiment of the invention, incoming messages (e.g.,e-mail messages, IM messages, etc.) are filtered by a computerimplemented system according to user-definable instructions. Thefiltered messages are prioritized, again according to user-definablecriteria, and information therein used to search a social networkingapplication database for summary information regarding the senders ofthe filtered and prioritized messages, such that each message can bedisplayed along with that summary information.

The incoming messages may be filtered according to user-definableinstructions that include one or more of the following: a sender'srelationship to the recipient as determined by the social networkingapplication, the sender's current title and place of employment, thesender's profile summary, as entered by the sender into the socialnetworking application, reputation information about the sender asderived from the social networking application, relevance of the contentof the message as compared to the interests of the recipient which therecipient may have recorded in his or her own profile in the socialnetworking application or elsewhere, and the relevance of the content ofthe sender's profile to the recipient's profile, as recorded for each inthe social networking application or elsewhere.

Another embodiment of the invention provides a computer implementedmethod that provides a mechanism for viral forwarding of searchesconducted within a social networking application. A user is permitted toselect criteria for a search within a social networking database,conduct the search and view results displayed, and is then offered alist of individuals to whom the search criteria and results could beforwarded in order to obtain improved results by virtue of access to thepersonal networks of those other individuals. Such a list may includeindividuals that satisfy user-definable criteria. and such individualsmay be ranked according to user-specified criteria. The user may also beable to select individuals from the list recommended by the system towhom the search should be forwarded. An embodiment of the inventionwould also allow the user to attach a message to the forwarded search.

In still another embodiment of the invention, a mechanism is providedwhereby each person receiving a forwarded search may in turn forwardthat same search to others. Each time a search is so forwarded, ifpermitted by the searcher, the individual forwarding the search has theability to modify, add to, or otherwise alter the search. Individualsreceiving forwarded searches are selected based on user-definablecriteria, wherein those criteria can include one or more of thefollowing: connection threshold, connection strength, affiliations withorganizations, industries or employers, schooling, or other elements ofprofiles the user wishes to use as a filter.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other more detailed and specific objects and features of thepresent invention are more fully disclosed in the followingspecification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, inwhich:

FIG. 1 illustrates a Web page, and in particular a member profile page,for a social network platform including a “One Click Reference CheckingOption” displayed therein;

FIG. 2 illustrates search results received from reference checkinitiated as a result of a user selecting the one click referencechecking option shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 illustrates an example of message filtering capabilities providedby embodiments of the present invention and, in particular, shows amouseover of an icon included in a window in which an incoming messageis displayed, and a resulting pop-up window that contains summaryinformation about the message sender along with links to more detailedinformation about the sender and the sender's relationship to themessage recipient; and

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a process of one click referencechecking in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Described herein are improvements and enhancements for social networkingapplications including search and user interface components, advancedmessage management functions, and systems and methods to augmentsearches through a process of viral forwarding of search profiles.

Some portions of the detailed description that follows are presented interms of algorithms and symbolic representations of operations on datawithin a computer memory (e.g., using flowcharts and the like). Thesealgorithmic descriptions and representations are the means used by thoseskilled in the computer science arts to most effectively convey thesubstance of their work to others skilled in the art. An algorithm ishere, and generally, conceived to be a self- consistent sequence ofsteps leading to a desired result. The steps are those requiringphysical manipulations of physical quantities. Usually, though notnecessarily, these quantities take the form of electrical or magneticsignals capable of being stored, transferred, combined, compared andotherwise manipulated. It has proven convenient at times, principallyfor reasons of common usage, to refer to these signals as bits, values,elements, objects, symbols, characters, terms, numbers or the like. Itshould be borne in mind, however, that all of these and similar termsare to be associated with the appropriate physical quantities and aremerely convenient labels applied to these quantities. Unlessspecifically stated otherwise, it will be appreciated that throughoutthe description of the present invention, use of terms such as“processing”, “computing,” “calculating”, “determining”, “displaying” orthe like, refer to the action and processes of a computer system, orsimilar electronic computing device, that manipulates and transformsdata represented as physical (electronic) quantities within the computersystem's registers and memories into other data similarly represented asphysical quantities within the computer system memories or registers orother such information storage, transmission or display devices. Thevarious objects, data structures, algorithms, etc. described herein maybe stored as computer-readable instructions on computer-readable mediain the conventional fashion.

Various embodiments of the present invention may be implemented with theaid of computer-implemented processes or methods (a.k.a. programs orroutines) that may be rendered in any computer language including,without limitation, C#, C/C++, Fortran, COBOL, PASCAL, assemblylanguage, markup languages (e.g., HTML, SGML, XML, VoXML), and the like,as well as object-oriented environments such as the Common ObjectRequest Broker Architecture (CORBA), Java™ and the like. Java is a formof an object-oriented (i.e., focused on data and the interfaces to it),dynamic programming language for computer systems developed by SunMicrosystems of Mountain View, Calif. Java has an extensive library ofsubroutines for coping with TCP/IP (transmission controlprotocol/Internet protocol) protocols like HTTP (hypertext transferprotocol) and FTP (file transfer protocol). Thus, Java applications canopen and access objects (i.e., data) across the Internet (or othercomputer networks) via URLs (uniform resource locators, also known asweb addresses) similar to the way other software can access a local filesystem. Because Java was designed to support applications on networks,which may be composed of a variety of systems with a variety of centralprocessing unit (CPU) and operating system architectures, all Javaprograms are compiled to an architecture- or platform-neutral objectfile format. Thus, the compiled code is executable on many processors.

The present invention can likewise be implemented with an apparatus toperform the operations described herein. This apparatus may be speciallyconstructed for the required purposes, or it may comprise ageneral-purpose computer, selectively activated or reconfigured by acomputer program stored in the computer. Such a computer program may bestored in a computer readable storage medium, such as, but not limitedto, any type of disk including floppy disks, optical disks, CD-ROMs, andmagnetic-optical disks, read-only memories (ROMs), random accessmemories (RAMs), EPROMs, EEPROMs, magnetic or optical cards, or any typeof media suitable for storing electronic instructions, and each coupledto a computer system bus.

The algorithms and processes presented herein are not inherently relatedto any particular computer or other apparatus. Various general-purposesystems may be used with programs in accordance with the teachingsherein, or it may prove convenient to construct more specializedapparatus to perform the required method. For example, any of themethods according to the present invention can be implemented inhard-wired circuitry, by programming a general-purpose processor or byany combination of hardware and software. One of ordinary skill in theart will immediately appreciate that the invention can be practiced withcomputer system configurations other than those described below,including hand-held devices, multiprocessor systems,microprocessor-based or programmable consumer electronics, DSP devices,network PCs, minicomputers, mainframe computers, and the like. Theinvention can also be practiced in distributed computing environmentswhere tasks are performed by remote processing devices that are linkedthrough a communications network.

Computer implemented social networking applications help people find andobtain trusted referrals to other people they wish to meet by takingadvantage of the social connections of their own friends, acquaintances,and family. Such a system was described in U.S. patent application Ser.Nos. 09/852,336, 11/146,815 and 11/219,035 each of which is incorporatedherein for reference. One component of social networking is the abilityto find individuals among one's connections to provide personal insightsand knowledge about people one would like to meet. Another component ofsocial networking is the use of reputation information to efficientlydetermine which individuals within one's contacts is most likely to havethe information best suited to one's purpose. What is needed in acomputer-implemented system of social networking is a way to efficientlyintegrate one's everyday methods of communications, particularly digitalcommunications, with the knowledge contained in the aggregate of all ofone's contacts.

One-Click Reference Checking

As a component of social networking, contacts are valuable for not onlyfinding an individual the searcher wishes to meet, but also for findingpersons who can act as references to give the searcher personal insightsand knowledge about individuals the searcher may wish to meet. Whenchecking references, searchers typically wish to check the referencesexplicitly provided by the individual being checked. In order toestablish increased objectivity as well as to create increased personaltrust and rapport between the person providing the reference and thesearcher, an ability to find individuals in addition to those providedby the person being checked is desirable. For example, if John wouldlike to evaluate Paul, John will speak with the references Paul hasprovided, but John would also like to speak with others who may be ableto provide John with further insight on Paul. Ideally, these “hidden”references will be individuals whom John knows, or who are trustedcontacts of one of John's trusted contacts.

Embodiments of the present invention build on the systems and methodsdescribed in the above-cited U.S. Patent Applications by adding uniquesearch and user interface components that enable users of socialnetworking systems to find and choose appropriate additional referenceswho have not been revealed by the targeted candidate. Hence, embodimentsof the present invention include mechanisms for conducting searches forpotential target persons that match the search criteria provided by thesearcher or by defaults inherent in the social network system. An optionis provided for each target person found as a selectable (e.g., by mouseclick or other cursor control event) link for a “one-click reference”.

Referring to FIG. 1, a hyperlink (designated as a “One Click Reference”link in the illustration) within a Web page that includes anindividual's personal profile may allow other users to locate people whocan act as references for the subject individual. Clicking on orotherwise selecting this link initiates a search for individuals in thesearcher's network who have attributes in their stored profiles thatindicate they may know the target. For example, as part of the searchthe system may specifically look for individuals who list anorganization, such as an employer, where the potential target and thesearcher's contact have both belonged to this same organization for anoverlapping time period. The system may then sort the results of such asearch so as to bring the most relevant results to the top of the list.Results may be deemed more or less relevant according to criteriaestablished by the searcher or chosen by the searcher from a list ofoptions provided by the system.

FIG. 2 illustrates an example of such reference search results presentedto the searcher. In some cases, a brief summary of each reference may beshown, along with links to more detailed profiles of each reference, aspart of the search result. Since time (e.g., currency) and the nature ofthe target's position or company is likely to be highly relevant to thesearcher's evaluation, the example of a search result shown in FIG. 2includes information on how many likely references have been found whooverlap with the target in particular positions. The searcher isprovided with an ability to uncheck or deselect check boxes next topositions that are not relevant and then run the search again to bepresented with a list comprising those individuals who overlap thetarget in companies for the remaining checked positions.

FIG. 2 also illustrates one mechanism by which summary information isprovided about each potential reference, including the reference's owncurrent position and employer, degrees of connection to the searcher,number of endorsements by other users, and any other relevant attributesthat prove useful to the searcher in a particular embodiment of theinvention. By clicking on a link to a reference, the searcher ispresented with a full profile for that individual. In an embodiment ofthe invention, the searcher is also able to initiate an introductionrequest to be sent to the potential reference through another individualwho connects the searcher to the potential reference.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a method for one clickreference checking according to an embodiment of the present invention.Once a user clicks on the reference link pictured in FIG. 1 andrepresented in FIG. 4 at 402, a search is conducted of the user's socialnetwork to find individuals whose personal profiles indicate they mayknow the target for whom references are sought. An example would be asearch that was directed to individuals who attended the same school asthe target in an overlapping time period.

If the search is successful 403, the user may initiate a request forinformation on the target from one or more of the potential reference404. If the results are not useful, the user has the option to chooseattributes to add or remove from the one click reference search 405 andrun the search again 402 using these new parameters.

Incoming Message Relationship Information and Filtering

Social network applications can provide extremely valuable informationto help in evaluating the potential importance of incoming messages byproviding information about the sender that would otherwise not be knownto the recipient. The present invention includes improvements andenhancements to user interface designs and message management functionsthat build upon and significantly add to the field of social networking.

Embodiments of the invention can be implemented with any type ofdigitized messages, including email, instant messaging, telephone andany type of digital communications environment, including client-serverand person-to-person (p2p). With email as an example of an incomingmessage, embodiments of the invention include a computer-implementedmechanism to scan certain portions of each incoming email that arrivesin a user's message inbox. As each message arrives, the sender's nameand digital address are extracted and provided to a social networkingapplication database that may be external to the user's emailapplication. If the system matches information about the sender toinformation recorded in the database, the system retrievespre-determined summary information about the sender to be displayedalong with the incoming message.

As shown in FIG. 3, in one embodiment of the invention, a small icon maybe included in a window in which the incoming message is displayed. Theicon indicates to the recipient that more information is available aboutthe sender. When the recipient passes a cursor over the icon (an actionknown as a mouseover event), a new window opens (such pop-up windows arewell known in art). This new window may be used to display summaryinformation about the sender (i.e., the information extracted from thesocial network database) along with links to more information about thesender and the sender's relationship to the recipient.

Information about the sender may include any one or more of thefollowing:

-   -   1. The sender's relationship to the recipient as determined by        the social network application. For example, whether the sender        is 1, 2, or 3 (or more) degrees away from the sender (each        degree representing a connecting person in a chain of        person-to-person relationships connecting the sender to the        recipient).    -   2. The sender's current title and company and profile summary as        entered by the sender in his/her profile in the social        networking application. In some cases someone other than the        sender may have entered the information, for example the        sender's profile may actually be included in a contact list of        another user of the social networking application; or the        sender's profile may have been extracted from other sources.    -   3. A link to the sender's profile entry in the social networking        application.    -   4. Reputation information about the sender, as derived from the        social network application.    -   5. Relevance of the content of the message as compared to the        interests of the recipient, which interests the recipient may        have recorded in his or her own profile in the social networking        application or elsewhere.    -   6. Relevance of the content of the sender's profile to the        recipient's profile, as recorded for each in the social        networking application or elsewhere.

The present invention thus makes it possible for the message recipientto see additional information about the sender derived from a socialnetworking application and then conveniently overlaid upon the incomingmessage for easy reference and evaluation. Providing this information tothe user in a convenient display streamlines the process by which theuser decides whether or not to read and respond to the current message.

In another embodiment of the invention, the same information isadditionally used to filter and prioritize incoming messages for therecipient's attention and according to either default instructions orcustomized instructions provided by the user/recipient. For example,messages may be prioritized and flagged, or sorted by order of displayor into various message folders, or discarded, according to specificcombinations of factors chosen by the user. Such factors may include:the sender's degree of separation from the recipient; minimumindications of closeness of connection or trust connecting the senderand recipient; relevance of the sender's message content to therecipient's stated interests; relevance of sender's profile content tothe recipient's profile content; and reputation information about thesender.

Viral Forwarding of Searches in a Social Networking Application

The present invention improves on prior social networking applicationsby allowing users to augment their searches by forwarding those searcheson to other people.

In embodiments of the invention, an original searcher will definecriteria for a search and then launch the search. The searcher thenrequests that the search be forwarded on to other people. The systemresponds to this request by compiling a list of recommended individualsto whom the searcher should forward the search. The list of recommendedindividuals may be compiled using various techniques for (a) findingactual connectors who may have been filtered out of the original searchresults (e.g., by their own access controls or by the criteria of thesearcher), and/or (b) finding likely connectors whom the searcher knows.

Criteria used by the system for selecting individuals to whom the searchshould be forwarded include:

-   -   1. Direct connections of the searcher who are also direct        connections to one or more people who were ranked high in the        list of people in results from the original search. The theory        is that since these individuals already have connections to        people who match the search criteria, it is very likely that        their own social networks include an even greater number of        people who meet the criteria, but who may not have been        accessible to the searcher because, for example, they are not        included in the social networking database, or because of access        instructions previously entered by the searcher's connection.    -   2. The searcher's two-degree connections who are one degree away        from highly ranked results of the original search.    -   3. People who match the original search and who are closely        connected to the searcher by degree and other measures of        closeness. People who match the search are likely to know others        who match the search.    -   4. People whose profiles indicate a likelihood that they know        others who match the search criteria. For example, individuals        in certain professions or industries are likely to know others        in those professions or industries.

In some embodiments of the invention, the user will have the option toselect some or all of the individuals recommended for receiving theforwarded search. The user will also be able to compose a message toaccompany the forwarded search.

In some embodiments of the invention, the following informationaccompanies the forwarded search:

-   -   1. A message from the original searcher.    -   2. The original search criteria.    -   3. An option for the recipient to indicate that he or she        actually matches the search criteria.    -   4. An option for the recipient to further forward the search to        selected people in his or her own network.    -   5. A list of the intended secondary searcher's connections to        whom the system recommends that the secondary searcher should        forward the search. This list is built using the same method as        used for the original searcher; but at the secondary searcher's        option it is not shared with the original sender.    -   6. An option for the recipient to add additional people to the        list of people to whom the search will be forwarded.

In accordance with embodiments of the invention, the process ofcompiling a list of potential recipients of the search and thenforwarding the search to those recipients along with recommendations forfurther forwarding, can continue up to the number of iterations limitedby settings of any searcher in the chain of searchers, or by thesettings of the system. The end result of forwarding the search even afew iterations will be the ability of the original searcher to reach afar broader network of contacts than would have been possible if thesearch had been contained within his own circle of contacts.

Contact Management Dashboard

The present invention significantly enhances the ability of users ofsocial network applications to manage their contact information andinteractions with their contacts through a social-network-enhanced“dashboard” user interface where users can quickly see and manage manyaspects of their relationships, including messages which the user hassent to and received from various contacts of the user. FIG. 5illustrates one embodiment of this dashboard configured to handleseveral related relationship management functions, including, in thecase of this embodiment, a) “Keep-in-Touch Reminders”, b) “Contacts toInvite”, c) “Contact Updates”, d) “Needs a Reply?”, and e) “NeedsFollow-Up?”.

In order to support all of these functions, the system periodicallyscans and analyzes the user's sent and received email messages, contactlists on the user's personal computer system, and information updatesmade by the user's personal contacts on the shared social networkingapplication. Updates made by the user's contacts may include, forexample, their current position titles and companies names, updates totheir email addresses and other contact information, updates to theirinformation about their own personal contacts, and updates or additionsto any other components of their personal profiles in the shared socialnetworking application.

Each time the dashboard is viewed by the user the system updates eachsection of the dashboard based on information retrieved from the latestscan, as stated above, and including results of analysis completed bythe system against the updated information scanned. The system alsotakes into consideration any information available regarding permissionsgranted to the user by the user's contacts pertaining to the user'sability to view their updated information.

When determining what information to display in each section of thedashboard, and in what order, the system takes into account specificfactors related to each section, as will be further described below. Inaddition, in all of these sections, the system also takes into accountthe relative importance to the user of the contact to which the relevantinformation pertains. For example, relevant information about contactsmay be given higher rank in the displayed list based on one or more ofthe following factors:

-   -   1. the strength of connection between the user and the contact;    -   2. the degree of trust assigned by the user to the contact; and    -   3. indications of frequency and reciprocity of interactions        between the user and the contact as determined by analysis of        messages sent to and received from the contact.

In each case the dashboard also presents the user with the opportunityto fine-tune information recorded about any of these factors related tospecific contacts. For example, when selected the “Manage” button nextto the “Keep-in Touch Reminders” shown in FIG. 5 causes a new window toopen (e.g., a pop up window), which window includes a Web form or otherdevice that allows the user to add or remove people in the user's“keep-in-touch” list, or to modify information about their priority,strength of connection to the user, etc.

Next to each item shown in each section the user is also provided meanswithin the dashboard to immediately respond to the item. For example,the “Send Email” button next to items in the “Keep-in-touch Reminders”section, when selected, will cause a new email composition window toopen, allowing the user to send a new message to the contact referredto.

In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 5 and described below, emailmessages are scanned, analyzed and displayed when appropriate; however,other embodiments may also be built which also work with other types ofmessages such as instant messages and voice messages.

1. Keep-in-Touch Reminders: This section displays reminders tokeep-in-touch with important contacts of the user. The system determineswhich individuals to include in this display based on a number offactors, including i) the relative importance of the contact to theuser, ii) the length of time it has been since the user correspondedwith the contact, and iii) the proximity of dates given for any specialkinds of reminders about the contact that have been recorded in theuser's information on this contact, for example, birthday or anniversarydates.

2. Contacts to Invite: This section displays apparently importantcontacts discovered by analysis of the user's incoming and outgoingmessages and to whom the user is not currently directly connected on thesocial networking system. The “Invite” button allows the user to quicklysend an invitation to connect to this contact.

3. Contacts Updates: In one embodiment of the invention, this sectionincludes two sub- sections. The first of these in FIG. 5 shows updatesdiscovered from the shared social networking application (“Updates fromLinkedIn”). These represent changes made by users in their profileswithin the social networking application, and to whom the present useris connected via that application. These changes include, for example,changes in position title, company, position descriptions, skills, etc.,that are different from data in the user's contact information that arestored in the user's own personal system. The second subsection showsemail addresses discovered from analysis of the user's email when thoseemail addresses aren't included in the user's contact information storedon their personal system.

4. Needs a Reply?: This section includes emails which have been sent tothe user by one of the user's important contacts and which appear torequire a reply from the user. The need to reply is based on a)indicators contained within the body of the message, for example, thepresence of a question mark or other semantic indicators that a questionis being asked of the user, b) any reminder flags which the user mayhave previously set regarding this message, and c) the lack of a replymade by the user to this particular email. In addition, thedetermination of priority of need to reply may also be based onindicators of the importance of the sender to the user, as describedabove. The interface used for this section of the dashboard includeslinks which the user may click in order to view the email in question,or to view information about the sender of the message.

5. Needs Follow-up?: This section is the inverse of the “Needs a Reply?”section and includes emails which the user has sent to others which needa response from the recipient. This is determined based on i) indicatorscontained within the body of the message, for example, the presence of aquestion mark or other semantic indicators that a question is beingasked by the user, ii) any reminder flags which the user may havepreviously set regarding this message, and iii) the lack of a reply madeby the recipient of this particular email. In addition, thedetermination of priority of need to reply to follow-up may also bebased on indicators of the importance of the recipient to the user, asdescribed above.

6. Terminology: the following glossary is provided for readers who mightnot be familiar with some of the terms used herein:

7. Web Pages: One way to establish a presence on the Internet is byplacing a Web page, which is, ultimately, a computer data file on a hostoperating a Web server within a given domain name. When the Web serverreceives an inquiry from the Internet, it returns the Web page data inthe file to the computer making the inquiry. The Web page may be asingle line or multiple pages of information and may include anymessage, name, word, sound or picture, or combination of such elements.Most Web browsers will show somewhere on the screen the domain name ofthe Web page being shown and will automatically include the domain namein any printout of the Web page. There is no technical connection orrelationship between a domain name and the contents of the correspondingWeb page. There are a number of ways for an Internet user to find a Webpage. Web browsers feature access to various indexes, commonly referredto as search engines. Well-known indexes include InfoSeek™ Guide,Lycos™, ExCite™ and Yahoo™. These indexes will allow the user to enter aname or a word or a combination of words, and will return the results ofthe search as a list of “hyperlinks” to Web pages that have informationwithin or associated with the document making up the page responding tothe search.

8. Hyperlinks: A hyperlink is a link from one site on the Internet to asecond site on the Internet. “Clicking” (or, more generally, selectingusing a cursor control device such as a mouse, joystick, touch pad,etc.) on a designated space on the initial site which references thesubsequent site by a picture, highlighted text or some other indicationwill direct the user's browser from the initial site to the second site.In addition to their use in indexes, hyperlinks are commonly placed onWeb pages, thus allowing Internet users to move from Web page to Webpage at the click of a button, without having to type in URLs.Hyperlinks are also used to initiate the transfer of files or otherinformation from the hosting resource to the user's computer in aprocess commonly known as downloading. Hyperlinks can be and commonlyare established without reference to the domain name of the second site.A hyperlink is not technically related to a domain name and therefore itcan be identical to an existing domain name without conflicting withthat domain name. For example, were the operator of a Web page known asSITE to establish a home page at http: www.xyz.com, any number ofindexes could be employed and hyperlinks could be established to bringup the page through use of the word SITE.

9. Web Forms: In general, a form is a collection of form fieldsdisplayed as a Web page by a browser in response to hypertext mark-uplanguage (HTML) tags and other information received from a Web server.An associated form handler resides at the server to collect and processthe information submitted by a user via the form. By using such forms,an information collection process performed by a host is madeinteractive with the users thereof. That is, users can add text to textboxes, select from drop down menus and/or select check boxes and/orradio buttons, etc. Typically, the user submits the form by clicking ona submit button or other appropriately labeled element of the form and,upon such submission, the contents of the form are passed to the formhandler. Depending upon the type of information being submitted and thetype of form handler being used, the information submitted by a user maybe appended to a file maintained by the host, for example a fileassociated with a temporary account assigned to the user or a largerdatabase. In this way information may be collected, processed anddisplayed to those who access it.

10. Text Boxes: A text box is a standard form field into which a usercan type text. When a form containing a text box is submitted in a Webbrowser, the name and contents of the text box are provided to the formhandler running on the server.

11. Check Boxes: A check box field is typically arranged in a grid ormatrix fashion with one or more cells of the matrix including a checkbox. Check box fields present a user with choices that can be made byclicking (e.g., selecting or deselecting as appropriate) a check box.Such fields are created and rendered using programming techniques commonin the art and any number (including all or none) of individual checkboxes may be selected or not. When a user submits a form containing acheck box field, the name of each check box along with its value isprovided to the form handler at the host.

12. Radio Buttons: Radio button fields present a user with a choice thatcan be made by selecting a button. Radio buttons are displayed in a set,only one of which may be selected at a time. When radio button fieldsare created, they are assigned a group name, and each button in thegroup is assigned a value and an initial state (selected or notselected). When the user selects one of the buttons in the field, allother buttons in the field take on a value of not selected. Then, whenthe user submits the form, the group name and value of the buttons isprovided to the corresponding form handler at the server for processing.

The above description is included to illustrate the operation of variousembodiments of the present invention and is not meant to limit the scopethereof.

1. A computer-implemented method, comprising: upon detecting selectionof a user interface object by a user, generating a reference searchquery to be processed by a social networking system, wherein saidreference search query identifies the user and a target person and isdesigned to return a list of persons who i) are connected to the uservia a chain of person-to-person connections defined by the socialnetworking system, and ii) are likely to have a connection to the targetperson.
 2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein eachperson in the list of persons is a potential reference to provideinformation about the target person to the user.
 3. Thecomputer-implemented method of claim 2, further comprising: facilitatinginitiation of an introduction request to be sent on behalf of the userto a person who connects the user to a selected person from the list ofpersons, wherein the introduction request requests on behalf of the useran introduction to said selected person.
 4. The computer-implementedmethod of claim 1, wherein persons who are likely to have a connectionto the target person are those persons who, according to a user profile,belong to, or previously belonged to, an organization to which thetarget person belongs, or previously belonged, during an overlappingtime period.
 5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein, foreach person in the list of persons, a brief summary of the person isincluded along with a link to a detailed profile of the person.
 6. Thecomputer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein, for each position heldby the target person as indicated in the target person's profile, thereference search query is further designed to return a count of personsin said list of persons who are likely to have or have had a connectionto the target person during the target person's tenure in said eachposition.
 7. The computer-implemented method of claim 6, wherein personswho have, or had, a connection to the position held by the target personare persons who, according to a user profile, belong, or belonged to, adepartment or organization which includes, or included, the positionheld by the target person.
 8. The computer-implemented method of claim1, wherein the user interface object is a user-selectable button orhyperlink.
 9. The computer-implemented method of claim 8, wherein theuser interface object is served from a server different from the serverhosting the social networking system.
 10. The computer-implementedmethod of claim 8, wherein the user interface object is generated anddisplayed along with the target person's name as part of a listing ofsearch results for a search performed by the user.
 11. A user interfaceobject, which, when selected by a user, generates a reference searchquery to be processed by a social networking system, wherein saidreference search query identifies the user and a target person and isdesigned to return a list of persons who i) are connected to the uservia a chain of person-to-person connections defined by the socialnetworking system, and ii) are likely to have a connection to the targetperson.
 12. The user-interface object of claim 11, wherein each personin the list of persons is a potential reference to provide informationabout the target person to the user.
 13. The user interface object ofclaim 11, wherein persons who are likely to have a connection to thetarget person are those persons who, according to a user profile, belongto, or previously belonged to, an organization to which the targetperson belongs, or previously belonged, during an overlapping timeperiod.
 14. The user interface object of claim 11, wherein, for eachperson in the list of persons, a brief summary of the person is includedalong with a link to a detailed profile of the person.
 15. The userinterface object of claim 11, wherein, for each position held by thetarget person as indicated in the target person's profile, the referencesearch query is further designed to return a count of persons who i) areconnected to the user via a chain of person-to-person connectionsdefined by the social networking system, and ii) have, or had, aconnection to the position held by the target person.
 16. The userinterface object of claim 15, wherein persons who have, or had, aconnection to the position held by the target person are persons who,according to a user profile, belong, or belonged to, a department ororganization which includes, or included, the position held by thetarget person.
 17. A computer-implemented method, comprising: causing afirst user interface object to be displayed on a web page, wherein thefirst user interface object, when selected, causes a reference searchquery to be generated and communicated to a social networking system,the reference search query including the name of a user and the name ofa target person; and receiving, from the social networking system, thename of at least one potential reference who, based on social networkingprofiles, has established a direct or indirect connection with the userand currently belongs to, or previously belonged to, a group ororganization to which the target person currently belongs, or previouslybelonged, respectively; and displaying the name of the at least onepotential reference.
 18. The computer-implemented method of claim 17,further comprising: displaying along with the name of the at least onepotential reference a second user interface object, which, whenselected, facilitates a communication mechanism enabling the user torequest information from the potential reference.
 19. Thecomputer-implemented method of claim 18, wherein the communicationmechanism is an email automatically addressed to the potential referenceif the user is directly connected with the potential reference.
 20. Thecomputer-implemented method of claim 18, wherein the communicationmechanism is an email automatically addressed to a person who connectsthe user with the potential reference via a chain of person-to-personconnections, as indicated by information in social networking profiles.